THE ANALYSIS OF TENSES USED IN THE ENGLISH FOR NUSANTARA TEXTBOOK FOR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

This study investigates the kinds and functions of tenses used in the English for Nusantara textbook for Grade VII Junior High School (SMP/MTs). The research aims to identify which tenses appear in the textbook and to analyze how their functions are presented in relation to students’ learning needs under the Kurikulum Merdeka. This study employs a descriptive qualitative method with content analysis techniques. The data consist of sentences containing verb tenses collected from all chapters of the textbook. The analysis is based on grammatical theories proposed by Swan and supported by Hermann Ebbinghaus’s theories of the Forgetting Curve and Spacing Effect. The findings reveal that five types of tenses are used in the textbook: Simple Present Tense, Present Continuous Tense, Present Perfect Tense, Simple Past Tense, and Simple Future Tense. Among these, the Simple Present Tense is the most dominant and is presented with relatively complete functions, while other tenses appear with limited frequency and incomplete functional coverage. This uneven distribution indicates that the textbook does not yet provide sufficient and balanced exposure to all tense forms, which may affect students’ long-term retention and mastery of English grammar. Therefore, it is recommended that future textbook development distribute tense usage more evenly to support effective grammatical learning.